1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to viewing of digital images, and more specifically, to optimal viewing of digital images, including repositioning of images, relative to an available display area of a screen. The present invention also relates to use of voice annotation times to transition between digital images arranged in a slideshow.
2. Description of the Related Art
Viewing of images (e.g., photo or video) on display devices such as computing systems, personal digital assistants (PDAs), camera phones, and digital cameras, is well known. When images are selected for viewing, a user is forced to view the images in the pre-configured orientation of the particular display, regardless of what may be the configuration of the image. For example, most lap screens are landscape configurations. In such configurations landscape images are appropriately displayed to fit the screen. In contrast to landscape images, portrait images are automatically cropped at the sides, e.g., with black bars, of the display area on the laptop screen.
For devices with portrait displays, for example, PDAs or camera phones, the opposite problem is present. In particular, portrait images are properly displayed but landscape images are cropped at the top and bottom, e.g., with black bars, of the display area of the portrait screen. These conventional systems all limit the enjoyability of viewing images not optimized for the display area of the screen.
Conventional systems can also be used to move images around relative to a screen. However, the manipulated image characteristics are not retained by the system upon exiting the view of the image application. Thus, a user is inconvenienced to re-manipulate the image the next time the image is displayed on the screen if the user desires to return to that previous view. Moreover, if the user seeks to make such views as part of, e.g., a slideshow, the user cannot save the views for such purposes. Thus, the user's display options with the image are limited. In addition, conventional solutions typically are a software program that manipulates the image, but serves the manipulated image as a new file that is distinct and apart from the original image file. This causes an increased use of system resources, including processing power and storage space.
In addition, conventional systems allow for display of still images in the context of a slideshow. The slideshow typically has a preset time between image transitions. Any variations in transitions must be entered through a manual process, leaving little to no flexibility in presenting a slideshow. This lack of functionality is particularly problematic where a user may desire to use a digital image characteristic to trigger a transition between digital images in the slideshow.
Hence, there is a need for a system and a process that (1) optimally displays images in a display to cover an entire non-square screen area, (2) manipulate an image on display and save the manipulated image with its characteristics with the same image file for later recall on a screen, and (3) allows for flexibility in manipulating presentation of images in the context of slideshows comprised of two or more digital images.